After a slightly delayed launch, Xiaomi has finally unveiled its latest flagships, the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, and they bring lots of upgrades and new features. The Xiaomi number series is the brand's high-end line, along with its MIX line of foldable smartphones. Unlike the MIX series, which usually doesn't get a global release, most models in the number series eventually get wider availability.
Xiaomi has made significant improvements to its flagship over the years. The company has focused on improving display quality, camera performance, audio reproduction, and fast charging speeds to gain an edge over phones from rivals such as Samsung and Apple. This year, Xiaomi announced a partnership with Leica to collaborate on the camera technology for its smartphones. It already announced a few phones with Leica lenses, like the China-exclusive Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro are the first two models added to Xiaomi's lineup of flagships for 2023. Like the Xiaomi 12 series, the phones will first be available in China, with Xiaomi confirming a global release in the coming months. The two phones get new design elements this time around. The standard Xiaomi 13 has a flat display with flat edges that are reminiscent of the iPhone 14 and a glass or leather back, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro has a slightly curved display, a curved frame, and a ceramic or leather body. Xiaomi's flagships have an IP68 dust and water resistance rating for the first time, making them dustproof and able to survive immersion in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
Better, Brighter, Faster, Stronger!
Both phones come with significant upgrades. The display of the former is slightly bigger at 6.36 inches and is an FHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. On the other hand, the 13 Pro keeps the 6.73-inch size, 1440p resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate of its predecessor. Users get an array of display features like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and DC dimming, and both also have a sensor that automatically adjusts the color temperature. The two phones sport Samsung's E6 AMOLED displays with a brightness of 1200 nits and a peak brightness of 1900 nits, making them brighter than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra's 1750 nits of peak brightness. Powering the two smartphones is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
The Xiaomi 13 comes with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with what Xiaomi calls 'HyperOIS,' a 10MP OIS telephoto lens with 3x zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide angle shooter. The Pro keeps the main camera but upgrades the others to a 50MP telephoto lens and 50MP ultrawide angle shooter. Both phones have a 32MP front-facing camera. The in-display fingerprint scanner supports heart rate measurement, and connectivity options include NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E, and dual-frequency GPS. They also have stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos with head tracking spatial audio.
A 4,500mAh battery keeps the Xiaomi 13 running, with support for 67W fast wired charging, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro packs a bigger 4,820mAh unit and charges at up to 120W. Both devices also support 50W fast wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. Bucking the trend, Xiaomi ships both phones with a charger in the box and also includes a protective case. On the software side, users will get the new MIUI 14 custom skin based on Android 13. The Xiaomi 13 starts at ¥3,999 (~$575), while the Xiaomi 13 Pro starts at ¥4999 (~$718). Both Xiaomi 13 phones will get a global release but will likely feature higher price tags.
Source: Xiaomi